It's not often that two ferocious tigers have to beat a hasty retreat from a confrontation. But it seems that the wrath of a mother bear protecting two cubs on her back was more than enough to scare this pair off. Wildlife photographer Aditya Singh captured the encounter during a visit to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India.

Aditya Singh visits the protected sanctuary almost every day looking for moments to capture the wild tigers and other forest dwellers around him. But last week he witnessed an encounter that he had not seen before. A mother bear was drinking water from a water hole when a tiger crept towards her ready to pounce. The bear though could sense danger immediately and instead of retreating, pounced back.

Recalls Aditya Singh, “The mother bear was coming from a waterhole and heading across the plateau completely unaware of the tigers. The tigress saw them first and instantly she started stalking towards the bear. Bears and tigers are two large powerful animals which normally try to avoid each other. But the bear had her cubs with her and so she felt threatened. That’s why she charged towards the tiger.”